Tiny Restaurants Escape Parking Regulations? Heugel Declares Fight Still On.

In a post entitled "Tiny Inner-Loop Bars and Restaurants Escape Increased Parking Requirements," Swamplot reported that proposed changes to the city's parking rules would exempt "restaurants smaller than 2,000 sq. ft. and bars smaller than 1,000 sq. ft. from the major increase in parking spaces the new rules will be requiring of most new eat-and-drinkeries." These restaurants just have to be inside the Loop and adding bike spaces can further reduce car space requirements.

Anvil Bar & Refuge co-owner and OKRA founding member Bobby Heugel replied via Twitter, "That is factually inaccurate."

"Just because we were provided an out for 1% of the population, doesn't mean we've won. The regulations are still there; there is just a small percentage of restaurants who wouldn't have to comply," Heugel told Eater. "It's really damaging to our cause to make people think that we've won when there's really nothing that's a tangible benefit."

UPDATE: Swamplot has added to the original post, quoting chef Justin Yu (of Oxheart, coming soon): "The major bright, flashing verbiage in that should be ‘free-standing.' [...] I’ve looked for the past 4 years for a quality free standing building under that size. Unless I build it myself, it doesn’t exist."
--Nikki Metzgar

· Tiny Inner Loop Bars and Restaurants Escape Increased Parking Requirements [Swamplot]
· All Parking Wars Coverage on Eater Houston [EHOU]